Every five years 4,500 councillors (including mayors) are elected to ensure the delivery of services across South Africa’s municipalities. Since the lead-up to the last local government election on 1 November 2021, 20 councillors were shot dead. The country's national murder rate for the year ending March 2023 was around 45 per 100,000 people. For ward councillors the murder rate is nearly six times higher: it's closer to 260 murders per 100,000 for the same time period